In the introduction scene, why does Louisa choose to lie about her name and her age, telling Maria that she is Brigitta? Is she weird; is there something not quite right about Louisa? Remember that Maria, dripping and very sexy (the "wet look" Maria), in her fight with the Captain, tells him, "Louisa, I don't know--but someone's got to find out about her."

Is Liesl the inspiration for Maria's "wet look"? As Maria is praying in her room, Liesl come in dripping wet after her rendezvous with Rolf. Perhaps Maria unconsciously stored this information for later reference.

We think that the children, especially Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, and Brigitta, are too old to be afraid of thunder and lightning. It is understandable that Marta and Gretl would be afraid.

Why do Maria and the other six children insist on walking, running, or skipping in the order of their age? This has disastruous consequences for Gretl, as she is always the last in line. Being five years and having under-developed muscular coordination, Gretl has a little trouble keeping up with the rest of her siblings. She even falls flat on her face one time (when they were skipping along a body of water)! It is a wonder that she hasn't been forgotten and left behind somewhere. It is no wonder, then, that she has little self-esteem that she is so easily swayed by Maria with just the words, "My, you're practically a lady!"

During the puppet show, why is Marta so incompetent that even with her simple task of changing the background, she is not on cue?

After Maria's and the Captain's fateful ländler dance, we notice that Maria is especially embarrassed. Yet Brigitta chooses to add to her embarrassment by pointing out, "Your face is all red." Maria is correct in her assessment of Brigitta. She (dripping and sexy) tells the Captain that Brigitta "notices everything." Does the Captain remember Maria's assessment when Brigitta makes her comment? If not, is it because he was distracted by Maria's "wet look" then, or is it because he is distracted now, having danced with Maria?

The children are unsuccessful in seeing Maria in the abbey. They come home and apparently miss dinner. When the Captain asks them where they have been, Friedrich comes up with the ridiculous strawberry-picking excuse, and tops it off, when the Captain presses them to tell the truth, with "It's been so cold lately, they turned blue." It's a stupid excuse.
Why doesn't Liesl, being the oldest, come up with a better one?

The family, because the Captain does not wish to serve the Nazis, plan to escape to Switzerland. Why doesn't Kurt have the foresight to wear long pants instead of shorts? He must have gotten pretty cold when they were climbing the Alps.